Eurotour

Eurotour was absolutely amazing and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it. It was really tiring because it was 18 days of non-stop travel and sightseeing, but I loved every minute of it. During the trip, I tried to post every day on Facebook, so this might sound a bit repetitive, but I'll try to include more detail in this blog post.

Day 1: Paris!

We haven't actually seen the city yet, because we've been hanging out at the hotel and waiting for people to arrive. Our flight left Madrid at 10:30 and we were in Paris by 12:40. We got picked up at the airport by BeloEurope and brought back to the hotel where we checked in and had an orientation meeting. The hotel is complete with a pool, sauna, and stream room so we pretty much spent all of our free time in there today. Tomorrow we will visit Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and take a trip on the Seine River

Day 2: Paris!

Today the bus left the hotel at 8am which means that we woke up at 6:30am. Unfortunately we are no longer on Spanish time, meaning that we can't be 1.5 hours late to everything. We are now on German time and have to be at least 5 minutes early instead. Our hotel is fairly far from the city so it took us about two hours to get to the city center because there was a lot of traffic. Once we arrived, we visited the outside of Notre Dame and then went on a walking tour. We crossed the Lock Bridge, walked around the outside of the Louvre and went all the way down to the Arc de Triomphe. When we arrived at the Arc, we had 2 hours of free time to eat lunch and explore the city more. Afterwards, we walked to the bus and drove to the Eiffel Tower. It was so amazing to see in person and I loved going all the way to the top. We took the elevators up to the top floor and hung out there for a while, taking pictures and admiring the views. Most people took the elevators all the way back down, but my friend Caitlin and I decided to walk all the way down from the second floor. Going down is definitely a lot easier than going up though. After our visit to the Eiffel Tower, we were supposed to go on a boat ride/tour but due to some technical issues, we'll be doing it tomorrow (Day 3). Instead, we went and ate dinner a little earlier and then returned to the hotel for the night. I walked about seven miles today and took around 700 pictures/videos.

Day 3: Paris!

Today we did a walking tour around the neighborhood Montmartre, starting at Moulin Rouge and making our way up to the Sacred Heart Basilica. After our walking tour we had some free time in the area to eat lunch and buy souvenirs. Then we went to the Louvre and walked around looking at the artwork. After the Louvre, we did our boat ride along the Seine River then went to dinner. Once we finished eating dinner, we got back on the bus and went to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night.

Day 4: Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam!

Today we woke up and ate breakfast in Paris, then we got on the bus and drove 4 hours to Belgium to eat lunch and explore the city a little bit. We were only in Brussels for about 4 hours total. For lunch I had Belgian waffles, Belgian fries and Belgian chocolate. My friend Grace who is on exchange in Belgium with Rotary came to Brussels to spend the day with us and it was amazing seeing her again after so long. After our free time/lunch, we got back on the bus and went to visit the Atomium and take some pictures. Once we finished at the Atomium, we drove 3 hours to Amsterdam (The Netherlands) for dinner and to check in at our hotel. Although we spent a lot of time on the bus today, it was probably one of my favorite days so far because we ate each of our meals in a different country and it just blows my mind that that is even possible.

Day 5: Amsterdam!

We started off the day with a 4 hour bike tour through Amsterdam which included a 30 minute stop for lunch in one of their parks. Although it was raining during the bike tour, I still had a lot of fun. After the bike tour, we went to the Anne Frank House and learned about her experience. I learned a lot and really want to read her diary now. Our next activity was a private boat ride through the Amsterdam canals. The tour guide was really funny and told us a lot about the city during the tour. After the boat tour, we walked to Museum Square and took pictures with the "I amsterdam" sign. Then we went to dinner at a restaurant on the outskirts of the city. Tomorrow we leave Amsterdam and head to Berlin.

Day 6: Berlin!

I don't have any pictures from today because we spent the whole day on the bus driving from Amsterdam to Berlin. It was about a 9/10 hour drive but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We got to the hotel around 7pm, ate dinner, then went swimming in the pool. Tomorrow we'll actually get to see the city of Berlin! This picture is an old border check between East and West Germany during World War II.

Day 7: Berlin!

Today we started off with a walking tour of the city and visited many historical sites from World War II, including the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the entrance to Hitler's war bunker. I wish I could list all the places that we visited today, but that would take forever and I don't remember all of their names. Our lunch break took place inside the best flea market in Berlin, which was really fun to explore. After lunch we got back on the bus and explored more of Berlin's historical sites. Our tour guide was amazing and taught us a lot throughout the day. He told us so many stories during the day but my favorite one was the story of how the Berlin Wall came down. Speaking of which, we visited multiple sections of the wall today, including the East Side Gallery. For dinner, we went to a typical German restaurant and had some yummy food. For the main course, we could only choose between chicken and pork knuckle. I decided to be adventurous and try the pork knuckle, which was surprisingly good. Although I had fun and learned a lot, actually standing in all these places where so many horrible things happened, changed the way that I think about World War II and the Holocaust, because I don't think people truly understand the magnitude of what happened until they visit it for themselves. Tomorrow we will be going to a concentration camp in the morning and then heading to Prague.

Day 8: Berlin, Dresden, and Prague!

We started off the day in Berlin, visiting the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It was very eye-opening and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to go. Afterwards, we drove to Dresden and ate lunch there then got back on the bus and went to Prague. Once we got to Prague, we went on a walk around the city to see all the lights.

Day 9: Prague!

Today we visited the biggest castle in the world and its surrounding area. Then we walked down to the city center and continued our walking tour there. We visited the Old Town and had some free time around there as well. After our walking tour, we went back to the hotel, ate dinner and had a movie night. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Vienna and stopping in Bratislava for lunch.

Day 10: Prague, Bratislava, and Vienna!

Today we woke up in Prague, ate breakfast, and then got on the bus to drive to Bratislava. In Bratislava we had some free time to eat lunch and then we had a walking tour through the city. Then we got back on the bus and drove to Vienna. Our dinner in Vienna was huge and only 2 or 3 people could actually finish the whole plate of food. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and hung out in our rooms or the lobby. Tomorrow we will be exploring Vienna.

Day 11: Vienna!

Today we started off the day with a walking tour around the city and then had some free time for lunch. After our free time, we went to a small amusement park and had some time to go on rides and/or walk around. I ended up going on two rides, both of which were really fun. Then we got back on the bus and head back to the city center for our carriage rides. We got to ride through the city in horse-drawn carriages which was really fun. After that, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Opera. I don't have many pictures from today, but it was one of my favorite days so far.

Day 12: Vienna and Budapest!

Today we started off with a guided tour through the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. It was really pretty but we weren't allowed to take pictures inside it. After our guided tour, we ate a picnic style lunch in the Royal Gardens. Then we got on the bus and drove to Budapest. The drive took about 4 hours, but it was nothing compared to the 10 hour drive we did a few days ago. Once we got to Budapest, we checked in to the hotel, ate dinner and then had some free time to swim or do whatever we want in the hotel. Tomorrow we will get to explore Budapest.

Day 13: Budapest!

Today we visited the Statue of Liberty and saw some amazing views of the city. Then we had a guided walking tour in the downtown area of the city, followed by some free time for lunch. After lunch we visited the Parliament and saw the Crown Jewels of Hungary. Once our visit was over, we went to the thermal baths and spent a few hours swimming in the pools. Then we went to dinner at a typical Hungarian restaurant complete with singing and dancing. I think today was one of my favorite days of the trip so far. Tomorrow we visit caves in Slovenia and end the day in Venice.

Day 14: Budapest, Postojna, and Venice!

Today we left Budapest after eating breakfast and drove 4 hours to get to the Caves of Postonja, Slovenia. The caves are about 25 kilometers long and is complete with a train that runs through a very small part of it. While I loved seeing the cave from the train, I don't think the caves are being cared for as well as they could be, so that was kinda disappointing. Also, the train ride seemed a tiny bit dangerous because it would pass under very low hanging ceilings or rock formations, which meant that if you were tall, you needed to duck in order to not hit your head. Other than that, I loved visiting the caves because they were really pretty. After our cave visit, we got back on the bus and drove another 2 hours to the Venice area where our hotel is and had dinner. Tomorrow we are going to have a relaxing day at the beach!

Day 15: Venice!

Today we slept in and then went to the beach until 5pm. After that we went to an outlet mall and did some window shopping before heading back to the hotel for dinner. It was a really fun day with amazing weather and lots of sun. Unfortunately, my back got a little sunburned but it's not a bad burn. I didn't take many pictures today because I didn't want to risk getting my camera or phone wet and/or sandy. Tomorrow we are going to go into the actual city of Venice and do some exploring.

Day 16: Venice!

Today we were supposed to go on a walking tour, ride the gondolas and visit the island of Murano. Unfortunately, I woke up with a bad migraine and was unable to participate in the activities. I was able to make it through the walking tour but after that I wasn't able to continue and had to return to the hotel. My friends sent me pictures of Venice though, so I've attached them below.

Day 17: Rome!

Today we left Venice and headed to Rome. Once we arrived in Rome, we visited the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. I felt much better today, but still not 100%. After that we headed to our hotel and had some chill time for the rest of the night.

Day 17: Rome and the Vatican!

Today we went for a walking tour where we visited the Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Then we headed to the Fontana di Trevi and threw coins into the fountain. Then we went to see the Spanish Steps in the Piazza di Spagna. After that, we had some free time, then got back on the bus and headed to the the Vatican. When we were in the Vatican, we visited the Duomo di San Pietro, the Sistine Chapel and had a short tour inside the Vatican Museum.

Day 19: Rome and Madrid!

Today was the last day of Eurotour, which meant saying goodbye to all of our friends and flying back to Spain. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone but we also made plans to go visit each other once we get back to our respective countries. I made two videos about Eurotour and have put them below.